


Dream In The Dark

by BlueGirl22



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Multi, au where angelica and the ham fam stay in the city That Summer, btw peggy's name is margarita not margaret idk why the tag is like that, google translate french, these are definitely NOT all the tags so keep watching them as chapters go on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-25
Updated: 2017-02-09
Packaged: 2018-09-19 20:31:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9459347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueGirl22/pseuds/BlueGirl22
Summary: Contrary to popular belief, Alexander and Eliza Hamilton are perfectly capable of keeping secrets. They're especially good at keeping secrets regarding Maria Reynolds. "Are you sure about that?" you're no doubt asking, thinking about The Reynolds Pamphlet. But what if I told you that much of The Reynolds Pamphlet was fictitious, and had only loose roots based in actual events. Its chief divergence from reality being that Eliza was completely erased from its narrative.





	1. The Reynolds Pamphlet

**Author's Note:**

> I know I have two wip up at the moment and I promise I will finish those I just need to shake my writers block with something new.

Alexander sat in almost complete silence in his office, imagining the hurricane that was surely taking place downtown, leaving not only  _ his  _ life in ruins, but that of innocent others. He had drawn the blinds early in the morning, but he could still see the silhouettes passing back and forth across the window. Did the silhouettes know? Had they read the pamphlet and come to see the workplace of the stupidest man in America, or were they merely people going about their business in the city? He tried his best to ignore the windows, and to focus entirely on the sound of the ticking clock. 

It was noon, he blinked, and it was two fifteen. Blinked again, three. Time, as always, kept slipping away. Still, he tuned out everything except the ticking of the clock. That was probably why the pounding on his door sounded so angry when the sound finally connected to his brain. Slowly, he made his way to the door, and swung it open. Standing on his doorstep was a small, enraged looking woman whose countenance drew a stark contrast with the cheery yellow of her dress and parasol.

“Hello, Peggy,” Alexander mumbled. He hoped that his ever-growing guilt didn’t leech into his voice too much.

Peggy’s expression of fury wavered for half a second as she looked him in the eye, but she quickly snapped back, “That’s _ Mrs. Margarita Schuyler Van Rensselaer _ , to you. You don’t have rights to my name.”

Alexander stepped back as Mrs. Margarita Schuyler Van Rensselaer pushed past him into his dark little law office. He gestured to a chair by his desk, but she shook her head.

“I shan’t be staying,” she looked intently at the parasol in her left hand, then the palm of her right, then the parasol again.

Alexander nodded, and she continued. “Honestly, I’m not sure exactly what I’m doing here. I had  _ assumed  _ Angelica would do this, but she is nowhere to be found today.” Her left arm dropped to her side, and she continued staring at her right hand, curling and uncurling her fingers.

“I was never good with words,” she mumbled. “Well, I guess this’ll have to do.”

“Should I give you a moment to collect your thou-” faster than the blink of an eye, Peggy planted two hard slaps across Alexander’s face. He cried out, but Peggy grabbed his wrists before they could fly to his face, and yanked him close to her. Right beside his ear, through gritted teeth, she snarled, “I hope you realize  _ exactly  _ what it is you’ve done,” and stormed out the door again.

Alexander stood on that spot long after Peggy left. No matter how much his instincts told him not to, he followed Peggy’s example and kept his hands away from his cheeks. His fingers were cold, and he didn’t want to dilute the stinging. He deserved that, and much more probably. He looked at the clock. It was eight. What time had it been when Mrs. Margarita Schuyler Van Rensselaer had arrived? He’d forgotten to check. 

For half a second, Alexander almost fell back into routine and moved to grab his coat before heading home. But he realized very quickly that going home tonight, or any other night in future, was inadvisable for several reasons. He cast his eyes around for any piece of furniture that could pass as a bed.

* * *

 

Eliza sat in her nightgown on the floor of her bedroom, right in front of the fireplace. Scattered about her on the floor were bundles and bundles of letters. Ones that she’d written, ones written to her, and ones that had just found their way into her possession. Of course, she knew what she had to do, but she was trying to put it off for as long as possible. 

She ran her fingers over the coarse paper, remembering the elation she’s felt when she first received it. One could whisper sweet nothings in her ear, or make a grand sweeping romantic gesture, but nothing could capture Eliza’s heart quite like a love letter. She re-read it over and over, analysing every word, every line, looking for some kind of sign, some kind of way that she could have prevented this from happening.

_ He could have told me what was happening, two minds are better than one, we could have found a better way out of this _ . She picked up another letter, this one written two or three weeks before the other. Bringing it to her nose, Eliza couldn’t tell if she was smelling the perfume that had been put there lo the many years ago, or if it was just her mind telling her that she was. The lines of this one were much more free. “ _ Dear Betsey, though ‘twas only hours ago that we were last together, I already miss your divine company…. When shall you next grace me with your presence…. Truly, you are one of the best things that has happened to me in this life, the other being obvious…. _ ” Though that one may have had less intellectual thought put into it, it was still Eliza’s favorite for its honesty.

Still, Eliza knew what she had to do. She couldn’t keep these letters no matter how much she wanted to. She threw most of them into the fire quickly so she wouldn’t have time to overthink her actions. She just kept her favorite safe for a few precious moments longer. She brought it near the flames, and caught the top right corner alight. She watched the beautiful words crumble and blacken into ash, and tried to dedicate the look of the signature to memory, as it was the last thing to go. 

After all she was left will was a pile of soot and room smelling of smoke, Eliza closed her eyes and drew up a perfect image of the signature. “ _ Yours completely, Maria _ .”


	2. Rewind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. I'm so sorry to all french speakers for butchering your language with google translate. I have no excuse except for I Don't Speak French. 2. Please don't expect this kind of speed from me regularly. Today was a school holiday and I was feeling Inspired.

 

**SUMMER 1791**

Eliza was having some Relaxation Time with Alexander. However, this wasn’t any ordinary relaxation. If it were, there would be no need for the capital letters. No, this was Relaxation Time, when, for an hour or so each day, Eliza would bodily drag her husband out of his office and into the sitting room, remove any pens/ paper from his line of sight, and force him to sit down and enjoy himself, whether he liked it or not. Usually, Eliza could simply bring in little Philip and Angelica, and all thought of government and treasury would fly from his mind for a time. Seeing as everyone had decided to stay in the city, Eliza was determined to make good use of her summer with her husband.

However, the children and their Aunt Angelica were out in the city for the day, probably seeing a play and being given far too many sweets. So, Eliza was trying to distract her husband my being mercilessly beautiful and tactile, and also trying to physically anchor him to his seat. Eliza had her hand on his leg, and was gently nuzzling the crook of his neck with her head. He was making a sound that was, for lack of a better word, purring. Eliza may not have had the intellect of her sister, but she was fairly certain that a purring Alexander was a distracted Alexander.

There was a knock on the door. Eliza bolted upright, taking care to not hit her head on his chin. Alexander brought a finger to his lips, indicating that if they were quiet, the person knocking might go away. Another knock sounded through the house. No such luck. The two made eye contact for a moment before he went to go answer the door. Eliza fetched a chair from the kitchen and placed it a few feet away from the sofa, giving whoever was here a place to sit.

After a moment, Alexander came in, leading a young woman in a reddish-rustish colored dress. She was saying something to Alexander about being sorry to bother him at home, but no one was at his law office, and she had a rather pressing issue. Alexander and Extremely Attractive Mystery Woman sat down in their respective seats, and he and Eliza waited for her to start speaking,

The woman stared vaguely at her shoes, her mind obviously elsewhere. In a deep and smooth voice, she began, “Again, I’m sorry to interrupt whatever you were doing, but I really need some help. I’m not sure if my problem is _legal_ , per se, but I’ve heard that the Hamiltons are willing to help anyone in need.”

Eliza looked at her husband, and saw that he had pulled paper and a pen out of thin air. How? Eliza would never know. He nodded, indicating for the woman to continue.

She took a deep breath, and, very slightly unsurely, went on, “Well, my name is Maria Reynolds. Several years ago, I met a man called James. He was manipulative and I was young, so, stupidly, I thought we were in love, and I married him. Now, he was never a nice man, but over the past, round about, two years, he’s just become,” she shuddered, “ _awful_.”

Taking notes, Alexander prompted, “Would you be able to elaborate on what you mean by ‘awful’?”

Maria nodded, and proceeded slowly. “Yes. He acquired a horrific drinking problem, and spent more than all of our money. The worse our financial situation became, the more awful he would be. He had always used violence liberally, but his beatings of me became harsher and more frequent.” She pulled the neckline of her dress slightly, exposing a beautiful collar bone decorated in fading bruises. “I’ve checked with several sources, and I know for certain that he cheated on me. Almost constantly. And he-” words caught in her throat, “There were other ways he would mistreat me.”

Eliza stretched her hand to take Maria’s reassuringly. The woman in red gave her a bittersweet half-smile, and muttered thanks.

Looking gravely at his notes, Alexander said, “That’s terrible, Mrs. Reynolds.”

“Maria, please.”

He glanced up at her and smiled warmly. “Okay, _Maria_. That is certainly terrible, and I will certainly assist you in getting away from James if you wish me to, but you said you had something urgent. That all sounds like it’s been happening for some time.”

Maria’s expression brightened, and she released Eliza’s hand. “That’s the thing, I don’t need to escape him anymore. Two weeks ago, he went out to one of his usual saloons, and didn’t come back. The longest he’s been away from home before is three days. I’m guessing he either was killed by someone he owes debt to, or he skipped town to avoid being killed by someone he owes debt to. Either way, he’s finally _gone_.

“While that is fantastic, that leaves me, a single mother with little education to speak of, with less than no money. I’ve sent my daughter, Susan, to stay with some wealthy friends upstate until I can get things sorted out. I was wondering, if I proved James to be dead, would it be possible for his debt to be nullified?”

Alexander pursed his lips and fiddled with his pen. “I’m not sure. I’d have to do some research.” He continued to stare blankly at the ground.

Eliza broke the silence with, “You’re welcome to stay for some tea, if you’d like.”

Maria nodded graciously. “That would be lovely, thank you.”

Standing up, Eliza walked to the kitchen to get some tea and three cups. She very much wanted to throttle James Reynolds and smash his head against a wall many, many times. If Maria had actually killed him and was just using disappearance as a cover up, Eliza would leap at the chance to help her hide the body.

Well, Eliza would leap at the chance to help Maria with _anything_ . Eliza sometimes felt feelings of desire for other women, and _dear God_ she was feeling that now. She had discussed this with Alexander when they were first married, and he said he had the same thing for men, citing John Laurens in particular. That had reassured her; she had wondered if there was just something off about herself previous to that. Sometimes, when out in the city, they would both point out and marvel at the most attractive people they saw. Very discreetly, of course. Neither one of them felt like being sentenced to death.

She shook off those thoughts as she brought the cups, teapot, and tray into the sitting room. Alexander and Maria appeared deep in conversation.

“What are you two talking about?” she asked, as she put the tray on the table.

“Oh nothing,” Maria replied breezily, “I was merely trying to seduce your husband for his money and power.”

“It would have worked, too,” Alexander added, “We would have eloped if you hadn’t been so quick with the tea.”

“I’m not surprised,” Eliza said with mock sadness. “My husband is one of the most seducible people on Earth. I think he was in love with four separate people when first met, and just flipped a coin several times to decide who to marry.”

Maria laughed. Eliza wanted to playback that sound over and over, for as long as she lived. Looking at Alexander’s face, so did he. As always, they shared taste. As she passed him a cup, he nodded gratefully, and said, “ _Merci_.”

 _Oh no,_ Eliza thought. _We’re breaking out the French. Here comes Seductive Alexander_. Maria arched a flawless eyebrow that made Eliza wonder if she would be allowed to marry a woman if she drew on a false moustache.

“Do you speak French?” she asked.

“ _Oui, nous le parlons tous les deux_.”

“Yes, we both do,” Eliza translated.

Maria leaned forward in her seat and licked her lips. Alexander looked as ready to faint as Eliza felt. “Oh la la. Both of you, speak some more.”

Eliza’s eyes darted from Maria to her husband. “Well… _c'est un tournant intéressant des événements_ .” _This is an interesting turn of events._

“ _Oui_ ,” agreed Alexander. “ _Vous sentez-vous aussi?_ ” _Are you feeling this as well?_

“ _Comment ne pourais-je pas?_ ” said Eliza with mild exasperation. _How could I not?_

“Very good, you two! I have no idea what on Earth you’re saying, but it sounds divine.” Maria’s eyes darted to the grandfather clock on the other side of the room. “Oh is that the time!” She leaped out of her seat. “I’m sorry, I have something I need to get to. You’ve been lovely hosts.”

She made her way towards the door, but stopped just when she got out of the window’s line of sight. Smiling again and making Eliza forget the entire english language, she said, “Hey, can you too come over here for a moment?”

Eliza met eyes with Alexander, and got up off the sofa to comply with her request. When they got within arms reach of Maria, she grabbed Eliza’s dress, and pulled her in for an unfathomably sensual kiss, lasting several seconds. Eliza savoured the smell of the other woman’s delicious perfume, and the feel of her soft oak-colored skin. When she released Eliza, she then went in for Alexander. Eliza would be unashamed to admit that she definitely stared.

Breaking away, Maria directed a question at both Hamiltons. “Would I be permitted to return at the same time tomorrow for a little more than tea and light conversation?”

“ _Absolutely_ ,” they said in harmony.

Maria grinned, and stepped out the door.


	3. Even The Best Laid Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait and the brevity, but I had some real life stuff to do. And when I say that, I really mean that I started listening to p!atd ten days ago and have not been able to do anything other than that since. Bonus points if you can spot the clumsy reference to them that I put it.

Eliza, Alexander, Angelica, Philip, and Angelica II sat around the dinner table eating turkey. It was quiet, but not awkwardly so. Everyone was just enjoying their meal and reflecting on their day’s events. Eliza locked eyes with Alexander for a moment, and he gave the barest hint of a nod. That was her queue. Carefully, she asked, “So, what did you three get up to today?”

“We hung around by the harbor for a while,” Philip responded. “And then we went to go see a play. Oh, what was it called?” He snapped his fingers a few times and furrowed his brow, “It was something Scottish… Ah!” His eyes lit up, “I remember now,  _ The Tragedy of Mac _ -”

Angelica II kicked him under the table and hissed, “Don’t say it!”

“Ow! And don’t say, what? Don’t say Mac- OW! Stop kicking me!”

“Angel, don’t kick your brother,” Alexander said to his daughter. He then turned his focus to his sister-in-law, and said with mock shock, “And you, Angelica! How dare you not tell him that it’s bad luck to say ‘Macbeth’?”

Little Angelica shrieked, somewhat-larger Angelica exasperatedly put her head in her hands, and both Eliza and Philip broke into a fit of giggles. Alexander looked around the table, obviously confused as to what was going on. “Wait, what? Why are you all-” his brain caught up with his mouth, and his face fell. “...oh,” he mumbled.

Eliza managed to stifle her laughter and reached out a tender hand to Alexander’s. “It’s alright dear. I’m sure nothing will happen.”

He sighed. “Yes, you’re probably right. But still.”

“I understand.”

He looked up at her and darted his eyes in Angelica I’s direction a few times. Eliza took the hint and continued on her mission.

“Sister mine, would you be willing to take the children out again tomorrow?” she asked quietly enough so that only Angelica heard.

Angelica raised an eyebrow and looked at Eliza questioningly. “That’s a bit short notice, but sure. Is there any particular reason?”

Eliza looked back at her husband. “Umm… we have to…” she began unsteadily. Alexander shrugged. They hadn’t thought this far in the plan. There was a moment of awkward silence before she said, “We’re having a guest over!” There. A perfectly safe response, and true, even if it wasn’t the whole truth. That would have been fine is her husband hadn’t chimed in at the exact same time with, “We’re getting the doors fixed.”

Eliza shot him a Look, and turned back to Angelica, who was looking very unconvinced. “The repair man is coming over, as a guest, to fix the doors. They haven’t been closing fully.” 

Angelica raised both eyebrows. “Really? I haven’t noticed anything wrong.”

“Well… that’s good! And we want the children out of the house because-”

“Because the repairman is a very crude person,” Alexander took over from her. “Mister, umm, Reynolds, swears like a sailor and is very seldom sober. But he’s the only repair man around that knows how to properly, uh, close a goddamn door. We would appreciate it if the children didn’t have to suffer the pleasure of his company.”

Angelica looked back and forth between the two obviously lying spouses and narrowed her eyes. “Okay. I ran into Burr today, and he said that his daughter Theodosia had been wanting to see Philip and Angelica. I can probably arrange a picnic, or something along those lines. And, if you ever want to tell me what you’re  _ actually  _ doing tomorrow, feel free to. Well, if you’ll excuse me,” she stood up and put her napkin on the table, “I have a note to go write.” She turned and went upstairs.

Eliza and Alexander looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief. 

“That was close,” said Alexander.

Eliza nodded, though she felt it was less “close” and more “a terrible plan that wouldn’t have worked if they were talking to anyone but Angelica”.


End file.
